Listen to the Rain
by twstedprncess87
Summary: Chihiro can't go back home! her life at the bathhouse.


Listen to the rain-  
  
Chapter 1-  
  
Haku and I were in the field near the tunnel. We had just arrived at the river.  
  
"I can't go any further," he said as he looked at me.  
  
"Will we ever see eachother again?" I asked.  
  
"I'm sure we will"  
  
"Promise?"  
  
"Promise. Now go, and don't look back" he said as he gave me a little push. I started to wade through the river but something stopped me.  
  
"Haku!" I yelled, hoping he had not left. I turned and looked at him, he looked back concerned. "It won't let me across! It wont let me to my mom and dad!" I said, banging my small fists onto the invisible barrier.  
  
"Let's go. I've heard of this before. Some humans who come here and get too attached have to say." he said.  
  
"Oh I'm sorry.." I said. He smiled at me, walked over and helped me up.  
  
"No, it's a good thing" he said as we started to walk towards the bathhouse. "Were going to have to get your contract renewed though.and your going to have to work more.." he said, I nodded.  
  
The years seemed to fly by; I turned 11,12,13,14,15 and finally turned 16. I looked over at one of the only calendars in the bathhouse. I squealed in excitement and turned around to look at Lin. She looked disinterested of corse, but I expected that. Almost no one in the whole bathhouse knew nor even cared there was a calendar.  
  
"Lin!" I yelled snapping her out of her daydream.  
  
"What is it Sen?"  
  
"It's my birthday! I'm 16!!" I yelled, Lin at least looked a BIT more excited then she did 5 minutes ago. I jumped up and hugged her. But one of the toads that worked here interrupted us.  
  
"Lin, Sen, we've got a guest. Wants the big tub. It's your turn," he said before heading back in the direction he came. Lin sighed.  
  
"The big tub AGAIN?"  
  
We trudged our way there, her low in spirit, me far from it. We got to the big tub and I climbed in with a water/soap soaked sponge. But something occurred to me, as it often did.  
  
"Lin.. is Haku coming back?" I asked.  
  
"Sen., don't worry about him! He's grown up just as much as you have..besides, why ARE you so worried?" she asked.  
  
I paused for a moment. "I..well...he.." I stammered.  
  
"You like Haku don't you!" she yelled, her voice booming through the hallways, catching everyone's attention. I put my face in my hands. The hallways were buzzing with various murmuring of "Sen likes Haku" or "Sen loves haku".  
  
As if on cue, Haku flew in. Unfortunately for me, everyone was still talking about what Lin had just yelled. He walked over to Lin who hopped out of the tub.  
  
"Lin" he spoke clearly. "Where is Sen?" he asked, since I was in the tub. Upon hearing that, I slunk lower in the tub, despite the muck that was getting all over my once clean uniform. Lin pointed down, I gasped. I looked around frantically for a place to hide. Too late, Haku looked over the edge of the tub at me.  
  
"Chihiro..what's going on?" he asked, I cast my gaze down.  
  
"n.n.nothing Haku..it's just..well.I...um." I stuttered as I looked over to Lin for reassurance who just smirked at me. Haku sighed and walked towards the entrance of the small room.  
  
"Tell me later" he said, then was gone. I sighed in relief, then glared up at Lin. She threw her arms up defensively.  
  
"Oh c'mon Sen! We all know you love that heartless idiot!" she teased. I rolled my eyes. We finished cleaning, then moved to more tubs and cleaned them as well. By nightfall I was exaused. I sighed into my sleeping bag and closed my eyes. I woke up a few hours later in the dark of night. It was raining.  
  
I had always loved the rain, nobody ever understood why. I would always go out and run in it or sit in it. It didn't matter to me as long as I was in the rain. I slipped out of my sleeping bag and tiptoed across the floor, careful not to wake any of my friends. I reached the balcony and leaned out, letting the rain dampen my bed-head hair.  
  
"Are you going to tell me?" I heard someone whisper. I jumped a bit in surprise to see Haku standing there. I trotted over to the screen that connected the room I was in and the balcony. I closed it lightly and walked back over to Haku.  
  
"Maybe" I whispered, chuckling slightly. His expression seemed to soften a bit. He put his hands on my shoulders, his face showing his seriousness.  
  
"Chihiro, if what Lin and everybody else said Is true..that you..well.Yubaba will let me go if it is true." he said as he looked off into the rain.  
  
~flashback~  
  
It was around when Haku first arrived, when he was still called "the Kohaku river". Yubaba held his contract for being her apprentice in her wrinkled hand.  
  
"you can only break from this contract if you can get someone here in the bathhouse to fall in love with you, not hard, ne?" she said in an amused tone. Haku nodded.  
  
~end flashback~  
  
"so your asking me if i.like you?" I said, not exactly wanting to say "love" quite yet. Haku nodded but then seemed to change his mind and shook his head.  
  
"I'm.um..asking you if you..love me." he said as his cheeks tinted pink and he looked at the ground.  
  
"I..do." I said somewhat uncertainly. His face shot up.  
  
"really?" he said, hushed (Of corse) but excited. I slowly nodded.  
  
"I've always loved you.," I said, tears falling down my cheeks like the rain falling from the sky.  
  
"I love you too," he said back, taking me in his arms. Right after, we heard a shriek from upstairs. We exchanged worried glances. We opened the screen to see everyone up and about, having woken up by the commotion. He grabbed my hand and rushed upstairs to Yubaba's office. Yubaba had her head on her desk as we carefully approached her.  
  
"what's wrong Yubaba?" Haku asked.  
  
"both of your contracts are gone.." Yubaba said, not bothering to raise her head to look at us.  
  
A/N: so that's chapter one! How did you like it? Please review!! 


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